“Amid increased reports of IDF strikes on Tehran-linked bases, security officials say Israel wants to make clear to Damascus that Iran is a burden, not an ally”

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Defense officials: Iran pulling out of Syria as Israel pummels its forces there
by Judah Ari Gross
May 5, 2020

Iranian forces are pulling out of Syria and closing military bases there, Israeli defense officials said Tuesday, amid increasing reports of Israeli airstrikes on Iran-linked militias in the country in recent months, including two such incidents late Monday night in which 14 Iran-linked fighters were reported killed. The Israeli officials refused to comment on these reported attacks, maintaining Israel’s policy of ambiguity, under which it generally acknowledges taking action against Iran in Syria without specifically confirming individual strikes, under the assumption that public confirmation increases the likelihood of retaliation. READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM Iran won’t turn tail so quickly A defense official even said explicitly on Tuesday that for the first time since it went into Syria, Iran is cutting back its forces there and evacuating bases. The information itself is accurate, but the conclusion might be too hasty. We would have to be very optimistic to believe that a heavier barrage of strikes attributed to Israel than were carried out in the past will be what causes Iran to raise the white flag.

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“In a landmark ruling, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected all petitions against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forming a new government while under indictment”

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
When Judges Rule: A comparison between the US and Israel
by Alan Dershowitz
May 3, 2020

…Israel is a parliamentary democracy with an independent judiciary headed by a Supreme Court. It does not have a written Constitution, but it does have a series of basic laws that are quasi constitutional in nature. Unlike the United States Supreme Court which is constrained by the requirements that there be an actual case and controversy and that the case be brought by someone with standing, the Israel Supreme Court declined to accept such constraints on its power. This has led to controversial decisions that some Israeli critics – including some distinguished lawyers and academics — believe exceed the proper authority of courts, while others believe these decisions have been essential to maintaining the rule of law. READ MORE

JNS As Israel’s Supreme Court weighs in on unity government, how much power should it have? Despite the ruling in favor of the government, Gadi Taub, a senior lecturer at the School of Public Policy and the Department of Communications at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told JNS that the very fact the court accepted the appeal for discussion is “outrageous,” “mind-boggling” and an “amazing feat of audacity”

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“In San Remo, the League of Nations decided to turn much of the former Ottoman Empire into new nation-states: Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan all emerged from this process, along with Israel”

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
100 years since San Remo, when Israel became a sovereignty
by Eugene Kontorovich
April 30, 2020

The 1920 international conference in San Remo, Italy, is finally getting some of the attention it deserves. That conference created Mandatory Palestine as a “national home” for the Jewish people, and promised Jewish migration and “settlement” throughout Palestine, including Judea and Samaria. Yet in the collective memory, the United Nations General Assembly vote in November 1947 to partition Palestine – essentially repudiating much of San Remo – is more closely linked with the establishment of the state. It is important for Israel to use this centenary occasion to upgrade the memory of San Remo and its importance – putting it ahead of the UN vote that was at best meaningless. READ MORE

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“Ms. Tamimi openly takes credit for her part in selecting the site of the attack and has bragged about it multiple times.” 15 people died

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

EMET ONLINE
Congressmen Greg Steube demands extradition of Ahlam Tamimi, known terrorist and killer of American Citizens, from Jordan
May 4, 2020

Late last week, Congressman Greg Steube (Republican, Florida), sent a letter to Ambassador Dina Kawar, Jordan, demanding the extradition of a known, HAMAS terrorist, Ahlam Tamimi. The letter was signed by Representatives Paul Gosar, Ted Yoho, Doug Lamborn, Brian Mast, Scott Perry, and Louie Gohmert. Ms. Tamimi was the mastermind of the Sbarro Pizzeria bombing on August 9, 2001, which killed 15 people, including 8 children, and wounded 121 others. Among those killed were two American citizens, Malki Roth (15), and Judith Greenbaum (31), who was pregnant at the time. A third American, Chana Nachenberg, has remained in a permanent vegetative state ever since. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL Failed by Israel, Malki Roth’s parents hope US can extradite her gloating killer Ahlam Tamimi, who oversaw the 2001 Sbarro bombing that killed Malki and 14 others, was freed in Shalit deal and became a celebrity in Jordan. Now the US just might be on her case

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“Biden remains a fervent adherent to the failed, groupthink-driven international consensus on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which erroneously places the burden on Israel to make concessions”

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK POST
Obama alums wrong on all counts in attacks on Trump Mideast peace plan
by David Friedman
May 4, 2020

The Obama administration’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Middle East as a whole, is best remembered as “often wrong, never in doubt”: from the disastrous Iran deal, to squeezing Israel without obtaining meaningful peace concessions from the Palestinians, to allowing the UN jackals to demonize and single out the Jewish state. Now, two of the architects of the last administration’s Mideast policy have publicly offered their advice on how to frustrate President Trump’s bold and creative Vision for Peace and Prosperity, a major step forward in the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. READ MORE

WASHINGTON EXAMINER For Israel, Biden will prove worse than Bernie During his eight years as second-in-command in the Obama administration, deemed by Israelis to be the most hostile to their interests in recent history, Biden routinely attacked the underpinnings of Jewish self-determination and pushed for failed policies that have proven to exacerbate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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‘God has opened the door for us to bring the gospel of Jesus into the homes, lives and hearts of his Jewish people’

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
TV meant to ‘bring Jesus’ to Jews, communications minister says ‘no way’
by Jeremy Sharon
May 5, 2020

Communications Minister Dudi Amsalem (Likud) has denounced the decision to give a license to a Christian missionary cable channel called GOD TV, which is being broadcast by the HOT cable television provider in Israel…In a video announcing the new channel, GOD TV CEO Ward Simpson states that, “God has supernaturally opened the door for us to bring the gospel of Jesus into the homes, lives and hearts of his Jewish people.” Simpson said that, “there are nine million people in Israel who need to hear the gospel of Jesus.” READ MORE

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“Gov’t approves three Lag Ba’omer fires on Mount Meron, Health Ministry says yes to gov’t plan to reopen state-supervised day-care centers on Sunday”

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
Malls, markets and gyms to open Thursday
by Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman
May 6, 2020

Malls, markets and workout centers across the country will open their doors Thursday for the first time since they were forced to shutter nearly two months ago due to the coronavirus crisis. Patrons will be required to wear masks, have their temperature taken upon entry and stay two meters away from each other. On Wednesday, shop and gym owners worked furiously to prepare their facilities for guests. Pictures were shared on TV and social networks of staff hanging signs, wiping down equipment and counters with disinfectant and sticking taping to the floors to mark where people can stand at checkout. READ MORE

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Logan Act has “never yielded a conviction but invites abuse by prosecutors, cops and presidents”

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

WALL STREET JOURNAL
Repeal the Logan Act
by Charles Lipson
May 4, 2020

…The Lo­gan Act is a dev­il­ish temp­ta­tion—to bad cops at the FBI, to bad lawyers at the Jus­tice De­part­ment, and to bad pol­icy mak­ers in the White House. The law is so broad and vague it can be used to in­ves­ti­gate al­most any op­po­nent at al­most any time. If any­body can be threat­ened, en­force-ment is bound to be se­lec­tive and dis­crim­i­na­tory, not uni­form and blind as law en­force­ment should be. These en­demic prob­lems mean the Lo­gan Act would prob­a­bly be found un­con­sti­tu-tional, if it faced such a chal­lenge. It hasn’t, be­cause no one has been con­victed un­der it. So it lurks on the books, a tool for po­lit­i­cal mis­chief. READ MORE SUBSCRIPTION CONTENT

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15th Chicago Festival of Israeli Film goes online May 17-26

Posted on May 3, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

10 DAYS, 10 FRESH TITLES, READY TO STREAM AT HOME MAY 17-26

Even with the constraints of social distancing, we can still come together to share in the magic and ruach of the 2020 Festival! With the ingenuity, agility and resilience Israel is known for, your Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema has made it possible to shelter at home and stream a unique, curated-just-for-you Festival, MAY 17-26, 2020. You may access each title as often as you like over the 10 days of the Festival, on any device—TV, computer, tablet or phone.

To become a sponsor, screening host, donor or volunteer, please contact us at info@israelifilmchi.org

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Ban falls far short of a complete prohibition on Hezbollah allowing Germany to claim that it has banned the group even if it has not

Posted on April 30, 2020 by ArchitectGuy

GATESTONE
Germany’s Partial Ban of Hezbollah: A Half-Measure
by Soeren Kern
May 2, 2020

The German government, after years of equivocating, has announced what amounts to a partial ban on the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah — Arabic for “The Party of Allah” — in Germany. The so-called ban — supported by the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats, the two parties that make up Germany’s ruling coalition, and also by the classical liberal Free Democrats — has been hailed as “important,” “significant,” and “long overdue.” The ban is in fact a compromise measure between German lawmakers who want to take a harder line against Iran and those who do not. READ MORE

EMET Benjamin Weil: Considered a Curse by Many, COVID-19 Might be a Blessing to Hezbollah Over the past few years Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization by the US, UK, Israel, EU (only its military arm), and others, has been increasing its power in Lebanon and slowly replacing the government’s relevance by hijacking institutions and providing civil services in place of the Lebanese government.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Mossad gave Berlin intel on Hezbollah ops on German soil ahead of ban Unnamed Israeli official tells TV Germans were provided info on warehouses where terror group stashed materials for explosives, as well as money laundering networks

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